Method for selecting e-health standards to support interoperability of healthcare information systems

Abstract

There is growing concern over the fragmentation and inability of healthcare information systems (e-health systems) to exchange pertinent healthcare information that can empower healthcare professionals to make informed decisions regarding the care of their patients. Standardisation is increasingly being seen as a means to ensure the interoperability of e-health systems. However, several e-health standards are being published, many of them without implementation guidelines. This paper describes a proposed method that could guide the selection of e-health standards (particularly for developing countries) to support the interoperability of e-health systems.